[gonefishin]

Nice weather is coming and my order saffron is in. I usually make an outdoor paella a couple of times a year. But this time I want to prepare myself properly.

In the past I have used a large 14" pan with sloped sides to make my paella outside. Not ideal...it's not the correct pan. But it worked for the time being. This year I would like to order myself a paella pan fit for 7-10 servings.

In the past I would, loosely, follow something like this recipe, from LaTienda. I would alter mine to fit available vegetables, meats, etc. that I happened to have in the house.

Two things that I haven't been able to find locally are bomba rice and Spanish chorizo. I'll probably end up ordering some bomba rice just to see how it differs in taste/texture/aroma, but I'd really like to find the Spanish chorizo! (I'm going to the Cubs home opener...which means I'll be picking up some Iberico ham...which means I'll look for the chorizo at Fox & Obel.)


We've covered the fact that I don't have the proper equipment and that I use an (admittedly) loose translation of the ingredients list. But before we go on to talk about what makes an authentic home cooked Paella (rabbit, snails etc) or a nice meat/seafood variation...I suppose I should describe my heat source.

For heat I usually use my Weber Kettle with lump charcoals underneath. I've got the little flip-wings in my grate so it allows me a little access to adjust my coals during cooking. I have also attempted to cook paella on the stove top in the winter time, with less than stellar results.

I've come to the conclusion that paella is one of those dishes that's better made at home than ordered in a restaurant (much like Ossobuco). It's a difficult thing to pick out one item that stands out to me as my favorite in paella. It's more so the "everything" of the dish that makes it sooooo tasty. (now to contradict myself) But I would say tht my favorite thing about paella is when that "everything" gets into the rice! Oh it's sooooo good!


I would love to listen to anything and everything you can tell me about your paella knowledge or experiences.


THANKS! (yes I know I was shouting

dan

[boar_d_laze]

Paella isn't a recipe, or even five different recipes. It's a way of cooking that more than anything else involves a particular pan shape. Paellas are one of a classe of rice dishes called arrozes, very popular in Spanish cooking. Arroz con pollo (cooked in a regular cazuela, usually) is another.

There's no particularly authentic ingredient list for paella, or inauthentic either for that matter -- as long as you stay within reasonable bounds. Probably most cook at home paellas don't use a huge number of different proteins. It's worth saying, the mix of chicken, shellfish, sausage, etc., which most Americans think of as "classic Paella Valenciana" isn't at all typical. I'm not saying it's not "authentic" in the sense that it didn't originate in Valencia -- but it's mostly an American thing.

The whole "lots of different proteins" comes down to what you like. Think of Chinese style fried rice. Some people like "House Special" with pork, chicken, shrimp and vegetables, while some people like only one or two things. By and large, Spaniards take the simpler approach. But nowhere is it written ... not even in Spanish.

Modern Spanish homes often have little propane fire rings, something like the ring from a turkey fryer, set on a tripod, which allow the paella to be cooked tableside. They also like the little propane burners we see everywhere here, for tableside cooking and service. In addition to saying it's usually cooked over a regular flame, it also says something about paella's party nature. It's not really a family dish. It certainly can be cooked over a regular fire on a stove top, and probably most often is. I can't begin to guess why you have a problem. I'd like to heare more about your methods both on the stove top and in the kettle.

You're going to need at least a 20" paelleria for the group you're talking about. That's going to look very cool on a 22-1/2" Weber Kettle. I'd be worried about it choking the kettle though, and would want to try a test run before the party when there was still time to develop an alternative strategy.

A comforting fact is that really cheap paellerias (paella pans) are the best. Plain (not stainless) steel with dimples and plain metal handles is ideal.

20" is about double the area of the 14" pan you were using. Double the volume too, since pan side height is constant. IMO, 14" is barely adequate for four diners, and by extrapolation, so is 20" for eight. The pan size suggests to me that you're piling the paella pretty high -- which may explain some of the problems on the stove top and success in the kettle.

I find it helpful to cook any large pieces of meat beyond where most recipes suggest. Simply browning is not enough. The time required to cook them, chicken pieces in particular, means everything else overcooks. Anything which releases a lot of moisture during the browning process I do in a separate pan. So as to start the aromatics and rice in oil, rather than water.

Bomba is by far the best rice. It's not just timing but texture and the amount of moisture. Stay away from arborio, which you'll often see recommended as the second choice. CalRose is better. In fact, CalRose is better for risotto than arborio, but that's a different story. Even a typical American basmati like "Texmati" is better than arborio for paella. If you can't get bomba, get a medium grain CalRose of the best quality you can find.

There are an infinite number of paella combinations and I urge you not to get caught in the small group which fit US preconceptions. My three favorite paellas are: duck, sausage and green olive; assorted shellfish with or without sausage -- but not with chicken!; and chicken and artichoke, cooked and finished with lemon.

Hope this helps,
BDL

[boar_d_laze]

After writing the above post, I thought I'd take a look at paella pans on the interwebs. First site I hit was: PaellaPans.com

You'll see very similar advice there, along with some recipes that closely tracked a couple of my favorites. Oh yes, and good prices on carbon pans as well.

Take a look,
BDL

[phatch]

I usually use my wok when cooking paella for the family. Never done a really big batch though.

[boar_d_laze]

Last post, I promise.

Okay, so I looked at the recipe at La Tienda. Not very Spanish.

Set aside the long ingredient list with the mishmosh of "surf, turf, smokehouse, and barnyard" proteins. You'll never get the right rice texture with the combination of cooking rice piled that thick, cooking covered for so long, and baking(?!).

Paella should be cooked on top of the heat, and uncovered for almost its entire cooking period. Look. Paella developed in part as a way to avoid firing up the oven and heating up the whole house during hot weather. Paella pans don't have lids and tin-foil is a fairly recent addition to the Spanish home kitchen. Do the math and you can see that paella was cooked above the fire, uncovered. That means the rice wasn't too thick in the pan, or it wouldn't have cooked right AND would have taken forever.

Of course, since the advent of foil it would be stupid not to use it and make sure the very top layer of rice gets cooked. And ... the Weber Kettle has got to put some really nice taste into the dish. No way should you change that.

But ...big enough pan for a fairly thin layer of rice. Don't overload it.

BDL

[boar_d_laze]

Originally Posted by phatch

I usually use my wok when cooking paella for the family. Never done a really big batch though.

So much for promises. If it's cooked in a wok,it's not paella. Still an arroze, yes. But not paella.

BDL

[gonefishin]

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

Modern Spanish homes often have little propane fire rings, something like the ring from a turkey fryer, set on a tripod, which allow the paella to be cooked tableside. They also like the little propane burners we see everywhere here, for tableside cooking and service. In addition to saying it's usually cooked over a regular flame, it also says something about paella's party nature. It's not really a family dish. It certainly can be cooked over a regular fire on a stove top, and probably most often is. I can't begin to guess why you have a problem. I'd like to heare more about your methods both on the stove top and in the kettle.

when cooking paella on the kettle I...

• simmer the broth and saffron on the stove and set aside
• sauté the meat and set aside
• sauté the vegetables and set aside
• make sofrito
• sauté the rice in the sofrito
• add broth, lay meat, vegetables and lemon circles in some cool design that somewhat signifies portions
• move the coals to the outside of the pan
• close the lid (of the Weber) and cook trying to maintain 350f until the liquid is gone
• remove the lid and try to build some soccarat
• serve

When adding mussels I end up covering the pan for a time. When is the best time to add them in order to get them open yet not overcook them?

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

A comforting fact is that really cheap paellerias (paella pans) are the best. Plain (not stainless) steel with dimples and plain metal handles is ideal.

At the couple of websites with the carbon steel pans they didn't appear dimpled. It looked like only the SS pans were dimpled. I'll end up ordering a carbon steel pan, dimpled if I could find it.

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

20" is about double the area of the 14" pan you were using. Double the volume too, since pan side height is constant. IMO, 14" is barely adequate for four diners, and by extrapolation, so is 20" for eight. The pan size suggests to me that you're piling the paella pretty high -- which may explain some of the problems on the stove top and success in the kettle.

In the pan that I currently have I would cook a smaller portion (usually six). I've tried to push it higher but it didn't work. I still suspect that my rice was still piled too deep (or is it high).

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

I find it helpful to cook any large pieces of meat beyond where most recipes suggest. Simply browning is not enough. The time required to cook them, chicken pieces in particular, means everything else overcooks. Anything which releases a lot of moisture during the browning process I do in a separate pan. So as to start the aromatics and rice in oil, rather than water.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

Bomba is by far the best rice. It's not just timing but texture and the amount of moisture. Stay away from arborio, which you'll often see recommended as the second choice. CalRose is better. In fact, CalRose is better for risotto than arborio, but that's a different story. Even a typical American basmati like "Texmati" is better than arborio for paella. If you can't get bomba, get a medium grain CalRose of the best quality you can find.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll order some bomba rice when I order the paella (am I catching on). I have used both arborio and Valencia in the past. I'll certainly keep my eyes open for CalRose for a second choice in my paella dish and for risotto as well.

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

There are an infinite number of paella combinations and I urge you not to get caught in the small group which fit US preconceptions. My three favorite paellas are: duck, sausage and green olive; assorted shellfish with or without sausage -- but not with chicken!; and chicken and artichoke, cooked and finished with lemon.

I've never used duck in my paella, I'll have to try it this year.

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

Last post, I promise.

Okay, so I looked at the recipe at La Tienda. Not very Spanish.

Set aside the long ingredient list with the mishmosh of "surf, turf, smokehouse, and barnyard" proteins. You'll never get the right rice texture with the combination of cooking rice piled that thick, cooking covered for so long, and baking(?!).

Paella should be cooked on top of the heat, and uncovered for almost its entire cooking period. Look. Paella developed in part as a way to avoid firing up the oven and heating up the whole house during hot weather. Paella pans don't have lids and tin-foil is a fairly recent addition to the Spanish home kitchen. Do the math and you can see that paella was cooked above the fire, uncovered. That means the rice wasn't too thick in the pan, or it wouldn't have cooked right AND would have taken forever.

Of course, since the advent of foil it would be stupid not to use it and make sure the very top layer of rice gets cooked. And ... the Weber Kettle has got to put some really nice taste into the dish. No way should you change that.

But ...big enough pan for a fairly thin layer of rice. Don't overload it.

BDL

The ingredient list at La Tienda does seem ridiculous. Which I why I say that I loosely follow it. What ratio of rice:water is a good rule to follow for paella? Your right in assuming that my rice would take a long time to finish. Are you suggesting a loose covering of foil over the pan?

thanks a bunch! (again) (I feel as though I've said that before )


dan